Toy vehicle with coil spring suspension



Dec. 29, 1964 FIG.I

B. E- BALTHAZOR TOY VEHICLE WITH COIL SPRING SUSPENSION Filed April 5, 1963 INVENTOR. a. E. BALTHAZOR ATTOR N EY United States Patent 3,162,978 TQY VEHICLE WITH C811. SPRING SUSPENION Bernard E. Balthazar, Moline, IlL, assignor to Buddy L Corporation, East Moline, ill. Filed Apr. 5, 1963, Ser. No. 270,857 6 Claims. (61. 46-421) This invention relates to a toy vehicle and more particularly to a toy that simulates an actual motor vehicle.

Toys of this general character are well known and have been manufactured and sold for many years. The more successful toys of this character are those that simulate to as great an extent as possible actual features or at least functions of full-size motor vehicles. According to the present invention, it is a principal object to utilize a' spring-suspension of the vehicle wheels which enables the wheels to yield vertically relative to the body or chassis structure in such manner as to simulate the so-called individual wheel suspension. It is a further object of the invention to provide a structure that is economical to manufacture and assemble, it being noted in this regard that the competitive prices of toys are based largely upon such features as ease of manufacture and assembly, since costly assembly methods will automatically raise the cost of the vehicle and that in turn will increase its retail cost.

The novel spring suspension featured here involves plurality of individual springs or equivalent means, preferably provided on the basis of two springs per axle, each of which is housed in an appropriate tubular support or housing to bias the axle and body structure apart, together with means limiting such movement so that the axle does not automatically become separated from the body structure. A further feature of the invention resides in a design in which the spring means is enclosed and otherwise compactly arranged so as not to interfere with the external appearance of the toy.

The foregoing and other important objects and desirable features inherent in and encompassed by the invention will become apparent as a preferred embodiment thereof is disclosed, by way of example, in the ensuing description and accompanying sheet of drawings, the Figures of which are described below.

FIGURE 1 is a representative toy vehicle in which the invention is embodied.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged view, with portions broken away and shown in section, of what may be regarded as the base structure or running gear of the vehicle.

FIGURE 3 is a transverse section, on an enlarged scale, taken generally along the line 3-3 of FIG. 2 but with external portions added to simulate front fenders.

FIGURE 4 is a plan view on the scale of FIG. 2, with portions broken away and shown in section, to further illustrate the four spring mountings.

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary view as seen generally along the line 55 of F IG. 4 but with the proximate wheel and axle omitted so as to better illustrate the control slot associated with the spring support.

The vehicle chosen for purposes of illustration comprises a main body 10, here in the form of a simulation of a well-known station wagon, carried on front and rear wheels 12 and 14 respectively. The front wheels 12 are mounted respectively at opposite ends of a transverse front axle 16 and the rear wheels 14 are similarly associated with a transverse rear axle 18.

For purposes of exposition, the external body structure has been omitted in FIGURES 2 through 5, exposing an internal running gear which, however, for all practical purposes, may be regarded as a base structure of the vehicle. In the particular embodiment shown, the base structure includes a longitudinal or fore-and-aft chassis or running gear 20 whose top surface forms mainly the 3,l62,978 Patented Dec. 29, I964 interior of the vehicle, and this will be varied according to the make or model of the vehicle; for example, station wagon, sedan, truck, etc. These are broadly immaterial but are mentioned by way of environmental remarks. Again, the basic structure may be constructed of any conventional molded plastic of the type that finds favor in the toy industry, and this again is broadly immaterial except that in the present case the material lends itself to the particular design in that the various components, to be described, may be integrally molded with the chassis itself.

With this in mind, it is noted that the chassis has front and rear axle mounts 22 and 24, referring to these broadly and generally. The front mount-22 includes a pair of upright tubular supports or housings 26, and similar tubular housings or supports 28 are' provided for the rear means 24. The supports are here shown as being identical and therefore reference to one will suffice for a description of all. Looking now at FIG. 3 as a good example of the construction, it will be seen that the top of the support 26 is closed or provided with equivalent abutment means at 39. In a situation in which each support 26 is molded integrally with the running gear or base structure, its tubular character will be formed by a cylindrical recess or pocket 32, which is open at its lower end at 34. Each support is provided with a pair of transversely alined diametrically opposed vertical slots for guides 36, each of a width sufficient to tolerably accommodate the cross-section of the axle I6 and each of such length or height as to enable the axle to move vertically within the limits of the slot, as suggested in broken lines in FIG. 3.

As respects the rear supports, each is closed or provided with abutment means at its top end, as at 38 (FIG. 2) and each is of course open at its lower end as at 40 (also FIG. 2). The diametrically opposed slots may be seen at 42 in the broken-away portion of FIG. 4. Sutlice it to note that these may be identical and, as already stated,

what is said for one support applies to all.

From the description thus far, it will be seen r at although the axle 16 is vertically movable within the slots 36 of the tubes 26 and is confined by the edges of these slots against fore-and-aft displacement, the axle is still vertically removable through the open bottom ends of the slots. It is a feature of the invention that, in addition to supports 26, the structure includes means for preventing separation of the axle downwardly from the supports. In the present case, such means are provided in association with each of the supports; Having reference now to FIG. 3, it will be seen that a side portion of the base structure 20 aifords a fender or wheel housing an inner Wall, as at I 44, which depends alongside each of the front supports 26,. in outwardly spaced relation thereto or, as stated otherwise, interposed between the support 26 and its proximate Wheel 12. Each portion 44 has therein a vertical slot 46 transversely alined with the pair of slots 36 in the associated support 26. However, the slot 46is being shown at the lower rear'portion of FIG. 4. This is a detail that can be varied Within rather wide limits.

The rear portion of the body is provided with depending side members 50 similar to those at 44, and each of these has therein a slot 52, closed at its bottom at 54 (FIG. 5). Thus, the front and rear axle are free to upwardly on the top abutment means of the associated support.

5. A toy vehicle, comprising: a fore-and-aft base structure having front and rear ends, opposite sides, a top and a bottom, each of said sides including a wheel housing having an inner depending Wall; an axle mount adjacent to one end and including a pair of transversely spaced and alined generally upright housings aflixed to said structure respectively inwardly of said inner walls, each upright housing being open at its bottom and having abutment means at its top and each upright housing further having a pair of vertically elongated slots in transverse alinement and opening at the bottom of said housing; a transverse axle received in the slots of the upright housings, said axle being movable vertically in its slots relative to said structure and upright housings and projecting at opposite ends laterally beyond its upright housings; wheels respectively on said axle ends and respectively in said wheel housings; a pair of axle limit means separate from said upright housings and included respectively in said inner walls and each having a lower stop portion generally at the bottoms of the upright housings and engaging the associated axle from below to confine said axle from downward escape from the bottoms of the slots while permitting the aforesaid limited vertical movement of the axles relative to said structure; and a plurality of yielding resilient means, one housed in each upright housing and acting downwardly on the axle and reacting upwardly on the abutment means to bias the axle downwardly and permitting said axle to move upwardly.

6. The invention defined in claim 3, in which: each side member is a fore-and-aft upright wall integral with its respective opposite side.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,838,875 Hammond et al. June 17, 1958 3,009,287 Davis Nov. 21, 1961 RICHARD C. PINKI-IAM, Primary Examiner. 

5. A TOY VEHICLE, COMPRISING: A FORE-AND-AFT BASE STRUCTURE HAVING FRONT AND REAR ENDS, OPPOSITE SIDES, A TOP AND A BOTTOM, EACH OF SAID SIDES INCLUDING A WHEEL HOUSING HAVING AN INNER DEPENDING WALL; AN AXLE MOUNT ADJACENT TO ONE END AND INCLUDING A PAIR OF TRANSVERSELY SPACED AND ALINED GENERALLY UPRIGHT HOUSINGS AFFIXED TO SAID STRUCTURE RESPECTIVELY INWARDLY OF SAID INNER WALLS, EACH UPRIGHT HOUSING BEING OPEN AT ITS BOTTOM AND HAVING ABUTMENT MEANS AT ITS TOP AND EACH UPRIGHT HOUSING FURTHER HAVING A PAIR OF VERTICALLY ELONGATED SLOTS IN TRANSVERSE ALINEMENT AND OPENING AT THE BOTTOM OF SAID HOUSING; A TRANSVERSE AXLE RECEIVED IN THE SLOTS OF THE UPRIGHT HOUSINGS, SAID AXLE BEING MOVABLE VERTICALLY IN ITS SLOTS RELATIVE TO SAID STRUCTURE AND UPRIGHT HOUSINGS AND PROJECTING AT OPPOSITE ENDS LATERALLY BEYOND ITS UPRIGHT HOUSINGS; WHEELS RESPECTIVELY ON SAID AXLE ENDS AND RESPECTIVELY IN SAID WHEEL HOUSINGS; A PAIR OF AXLE LIMIT MEANS SEPARATE FROM SAID UPRIGHT HOUSINGS AND INCLUDED RESPECTIVELY IN SAID INNER WALLS AND EACH HAVING A LOWER STOP PORTION GENERALLY AT THE BOTTOMS OF THE UPRIGHT HOUSINGS AND ENGAGING THE ASSOCIATED AXLE FROM BELOW TO CONFINE SAID AXLE FROM DOWNWARD ESCAPE FROM THE BOTTOMS OF THE SLOTS WHILE PERMITTING THE AFORESAID LIMITED VERTICAL MOVEMENT OF THE AXLES RELATIVE TO SAID STRUCTURE; AND A PLURALITY OF YIELDING RESILIENT MEANS, ONE HOUSED IN EACH UPRIGHT HOUSING AND ACTING DOWNWARDLY ON THE AXLE AND REACTING UPWARDLY ON THE ABUTMENT MEANS TO BIAS THE AXLE DOWNWARDLY AND PERMITTING SAID AXLE TO MOVE UPWARDLY. 